Bristle-trimming mechanism



June 13, 1944. c. 5. KING 2,351,344

BRIS'IfLE-TRIMMING MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. CHARLES 8. KING ATTORNEYS June 13, 1944. c. 5. KING BRISTLE-TRIMMING MECHANISM Filed May 27, 1942 2 Sheets-SheetZ FIGQ4.

CHARLES 5. KING ATTORNEYS Patented June 13, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT 2,351,344 BRISTLE-TRIMIIING MECHANISM Charles S. King, Osgood, Ind.,' assignor to Solid Back Brush Machinery Company, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application May 27, 1942, Serial No. 444,703 I I 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanismfor effecting the even trimming of the free ends of bristles, wire units, or fiber material which have been anchored, as by stapling, in a, wooden or other, brush back, andhas for its object an improved organization of partsby which the trimming of the several tufts, to a marked degree of uniformity, maybe efiectedrapidly, and with a maximum of protection against the possibility of the operator being injured or portions of his clothing caught within the mechanism.

Regardless of the degree of care with which the segregation and stapled anchoring of the several bristle tufts has been effected, it is next to impossible to have their free ends as thus anchored in absolute plane alignment, some being enough longer than others and thus precluding the smooth brushing surface which it is desiredthat the. completed brush, shall offer; this is true whether the brush be as small as tooth brush size, or whether the trimming, be upon the fiber .or. wire units used for-large street-sweeping brushes. And it has further beenv my experience that some means of more or less firmly though temporary anchoring of the free ends of the bristle tufts, while the actual trimming or cutting operation is in progress, adds greatlynot only to the uniformity of the trim, but as well to the ease of operation of the mechanism. The organization of parts here oifered I havefound effects these desired results to a gratifying degree.

In the drawings: v f p v Figure 1 is an end elevational view of the machine, showing the relation of the brush block guides andthe peripherally recessed cylinder em ployed for the temporary anchorage of the ends of the bristle tufts. W

Figure 2 is a side elevational view taken at right angles from the direction shown in Figure 1, l V Figure 3 is a large-scale fragmentary view of the central portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 2, designed to bring out in somewhat possibly exaggerated detail the cooperating action of the cutting knife and of the bristle-anchoring recesses in the cylindrical member. D

Figure 4 is a sectional elevational view of the cylindrical member which is shown fragmentarily in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the cylindrical member and its supporting shaft, designed particularly to bring out the preferred spiral arrangement of the tuft-anchoring recesses in the cylindrical surface; by contrast with Figure 4, H

part of whose recesses are shownin dotted lines,

it additionally serves to emphasize the preferred spiral arrangement remarked upon.

A indicates a suitable supporting frame, on the opposite sides of which are positioned journal bearings B, in which rotatably engages the shaft C, driven from a suitable pulley as D. A conventional indication of a motor for driving the pulley is shown at E, with a belt connection F onto the pulley D. On this shaft is keyed the cylinder G which, as already stated, has its periphery provided with numerous recesses or holes as H, which I have illustrated as arranged in slightly spiraled alignment about the periphery of the cylinder, though, under some circumstances, governed largely by the character and rigidity of the bristles or wire tufts to be trimmed, this illustrated arrangement of the recesses H may be departed from. V

Extending upwardly from a suitably positioned lower part of the frame A is a post or stemJ whose limited raising andlowering is regulatable by means of the nut K, The top of this post J supports a horizontally positioned guide frame L, which is provided with trackway members M, which may be limitedly moved toward or away from one another and adjusted in their selected positions by the nuts N; the selected distance between them is of c'o'urse'the' width of the brush backs upon which the trimming operation is to be performed. The swingable bracket 5 appearing at the right-hand end of Figure 2 makes possible the adjustment of one of the 'trackway members M toward or away from the companio'n trackway according to the width of the brush backs being worked upon. The individual brush blocks with the previously inserted tufts'of bristles are pushed along the guideway one after-another, as shown in positions a, b, and c in Figure 2, with their bristles pointing toward the ground. Z

As each brush back is advanced along the trackway, as it approaches the operative range of the peripherally recessed cylinder G the free ends of the several units of bristle tufts successively engage in some one or other of the holes H in the rotatingcylinder G slightly before that part of the eylinders periphery reaches the topmost point of its rota-ted path. As the cylinder and its recess-anchored tufts successively reach this top point, each tuft thus temporarily held in some one of the recesses H encounters the cutting edge of the knife Q,which is held in'desired position of elevation and advancement by the post R; and the manually (or power) effected advance movement of the brush back serves, cooperatively with the rotative action of the recessed cylinderand the knife Q, to eifect'the severance of the undesired length of the bristle tufts, so that as the thentrimmedunits ofthe tufts move out on the top surface of the knife member'they are of uniform lengthfand consequently when the severance of all of the tuftshave been effected, the terminal, brushing-surface of all of the tufts ends is in the same plane.

The peripheral surface of the cylinder G is the guideway M; brush unit'a shows the alignment, subject to the curvature of the cylin'-' der, withthat part of the cylinders surface at any time approaching the cutting edge of the knife Q; thus a very clean-cutting effect upon the recess-anchored bristles is effected.

In side-elevational Figure 2 three already filled brush units'are shown in position along full length of its individual bristle tufts d as delivered from the-stapling process; the tufts of brush unit I) are being successively acted upon by the knife Q as their free ends are temporarily held in the anchorage recesses H of the cylinder G; brush unit has passed the operative range of the cylinder G and knife Q, and the ends of its bristle tufts have been trimmed to desired uniformity.

My experience leads me to prefer the spiral alignment of the tuft-anchoring recesses, as shown in Figures 2,3, 4 and 5, since this distributes the actual cutting strain upon the various tufts over successive or rather overlapping time periods on somewhat the same principle as the familiar draw out. This is especially desirable in case very heavy material is used for the brushing elements, such as thick rattan, or even wire, Where a lesser degree ofresistance to the cutting may be looked for, as in the case of soft bristles, the selected alignment of the tuft-anchoring recesses may be departed from what is here shown without impairment of the machines efficiency.

The holes or.- recesses H are preferably of appreciably larger size than the actual bulk or diameter of each tuft, for the reason that the free ends of these latter, being more or less loose and tending to spread somewhat, must have a recess space H sufficiently large for them all to enter and be held before-the cutting action of the knife Q begins; otherwise some of the unduly long individual bristles might pass along untrimmed. I

Not only does this combination of parts permit of accurate and rapid trimming of the bristle ends, but its safety factor is also very high, for the operator would have tov almost intentionally go out of his way to get his hand beneath the level of the block guides M or their supporting table L before it would be possibleforhis hand to dangerously approach the knife Q. And it is also to be remarked that the relatively large diameter of the cylindrical member G affords a relatively broad almost-horizontal surface along which the cuttingedge of the knife rests, so that the exact desired level of its'cutting action is maintained very uniformly accordingly.

What I claim is:

1. In a bristle-trimming mechanism, in combination with means for guiding bristle-filled brush backs along a predetermined level, means for effecting the uniform ends of the bristle tufts, comprising a rotatable cylinder having individual tuft-receiving recesses in its peripheral surface arranged in spiral trimming of the free tive propinquity relation, and an adjustable cutting knife positioned in operative propinquity to said cylinders recessed surface and to the exposed bristle ends as the brush blocks are fed theretoward, whereby a draw cutting effect is exerted upon the individual bristle tufts as each is successively and terminally held at the end in some one of the tuft-receiving recesses in the surface of the cylinder.

2. A bristle-trimming mechanism for previously-filled brush blocks, comprising a guiding trackway along which the individual blocks are adapted to be advanced at a predetermined level, a trimming knife having its cutting edge positioned transversely of the line of travel of the brush blanks, means for regulating the level of said cutting knife according to the depth of cut desired to be made relatively to the length of the bristles positioned in the brush back, and a rotatable cylinder positioned in operative propinquity to said'trimming knife and provided with peripheral spacedly positioned sockets into some one or the other of which the individual bristle tufts are adapted ,to temporarily engage contemporaneously with the action of the cutting knife thereon, whereby each is terminally held firmly during the cutting operation.

3. In combination with a guiding. trackway along which bristle-filled brush backs are adapted to be advanced, a trimming knife positioned across the path of travel thereof in position to act upon the exposed free ends of the bristles as the brush back is'fed theretoward, and a rotatable cylinder positioned in operato said knife and to the free ends of the bristle tufts said cylinder having a plurality of tuft-receiving sockets arranged in spiral relation about its, peripheral surface, whereby each group of bristles has its exposed free end engaged by some one of said sockets to hold the same against flexion during the trimming operation of the knife edge.

4. Mechanism for trimming the ends of bristle tufts in successively presented brush backs, comprising in combination with a guiding trackway, a cutting member adjustably positioned transversely of the direction of travel of said presented and previously filled brush'backs, and a rotatable cylinder member over whose top surface the cutting edge of said last member slidingly engages, the peripheral surface of said cylindrical member being provided with a plurality of tuft-engaging recesses into some one of which the terminal portion of each untrimmed ,tuft engages as it approaches the operative range of the cutting member, being thus temporarily held against wavering while the tuft-trimming action of the cutting member is in progress.

5. In combination with a rotatable cylinder member provided with sharply shouldered recesses located at selected points in its peripheral surface, a stationary knife having its cutting edge positioned in operative propinquity to the peripheral surface of said cylinder, and guide frame for tuft-filled brush units, which such 

